Exercise is a great way to develop your body and calm your mind. Exercise can also boost your immune system and help you feel better if you’re sick.[1] However, more exercise isn’t necessarily better: moderate activity is the most beneficial for your immune system. In fact, heavy and long-term exercise—such as marathon running— could actually harm you. You can boost your immunity by getting moderate physical activity most days of the week, and continuing light exercise when ill to stimulate your immune system.

Steps

Part 1

Getting Moderate Physical Activity

1

See your doctor. Almost any person can boost immunity through exercise. However, what exercises and times are best for you may vary depending on your overall health. Schedule an appointment with your doctor to see you are able to do a moderate exercise program to stimulate your immune system. This can ensure you are healthy enough for exercise, especially if you aren’t currently exercising. Your doctor can also give you tips on what activities are best for you.[2]

Talk to your doctor about your desire to boost immunity with exercise. Let the doctor know about any type of exercise or activity you already do.

Ask any questions you may have about your health and ability to do exercise. For example, you could say, “I want to start taking my overall health more seriously, especially boosting my immunity with exercise. I know I have some issues with my heart, but what type of exercise could I do without injuring myself or putting too much stress on my cardiovascular system?”

2

Aim for daily physical activity. If you are healthy, you should aim to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. In general, 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week is enough to help boost your immunity. Keeping an exercise journal or using a smartphone app can help you track your workout time and progress.[3]

Incorporate moderate activities such as brisk walking, biking, and swimming. Recognize that activities such as your weekly golf game, playing with your kids, and even mowing the lawn count towards your daily exercise total.[4]

Assess your current workout plan. If you are already exercising or getting physical activity every day, you don’t need to add any extra time to boost your immunity.[5]

3

Break up exercise into manageable chunks. Busy schedules can make it difficult to get in a 30-minute chunk of time. You may also be new to exercise and unable to perform 30 consecutive minutes of activity. You can easily get in exercise by breaking it up into manageable amounts of time during the day.[6]

Try three 10-minute chunks of activity every day until you can do one consistent 30-minute session. You can also vary each activity to work different parts of your body. For example, you could do a 10-minute jog in the morning, a 10-minute brisk walk at lunch, and then go for a 10-minute bike ride with your kids in the evening.

Consider trying vigorous 10-minute bursts of exercise if you would like to add some intensity to your workout.

4

Perform strength-training twice a week. Another great way to boost your immunity is to incorporate strength training into your exercise routine. Lifting weights, yoga, and Pilates are types of resistance training that can promote overall health and stimulate your immune system.[7]

Meet with a certified trainer if you are new to weightlifting or resistance training. This person can help you identify the best types of strength-training moves for you. The trainer can also show you how to properly perform the exercises.

Avoid long exercise sessions. Moderate exercise is a great way to boost your immunity. But this doesn’t mean you should amp up your daily workouts. Prolonged and strenuous bouts of activity, such as running marathons or intense cardio or strength-training at the gym, can actually cause harm.[8] Unless you are already performing long exercise sessions, keep your activity to moderate level and shorter times.[9] Consider decreasing longer sessions to get the full immunity-boosting benefits of exercise.

Exercise for under 2 hours a day if possible. This may protect you from decreased immune function.

Part 2

Continuing Light Exercise During Illness

1

Identify if you’re healthy enough for exercise. If you’re feeling slightly sick, consider doing some light activity. It can boost your circulation and may help the cells and substances of your immune system work more efficiently.[10] However, instead of diving straight into a workout, make sure that you’re not too sick to exercise. Easy ways to identify if you are healthy enough to do light exercise to boost your immunity include:[11]

Your symptoms are not “below the neck,” such as chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach.

You are not fatigued or have widespread muscle aches.

You don’t have a fever.

You don’t have a stiff neck (which can be sign of meningeal irritation).

You don’t have enlarged spleen (which can happen with mononucleosis).

2

Reduce your intensity and length. If you are not too sick and want to workout, go easy on yourself. Reducing the time and intensity of your workout can help boost your immunity without making you feel worse.[12]

Switch up your usual routine and try an easier activity. For example, if you usually run, try brisk walking. Biking can be a good replacement for swimming.

Avoid pushing yourself, even if you feel fine while working out. This can increase your risk of more serious injury or illness.

3

Pay attention to your body. If you decide to exercise when you’re ill, it’s important to let your body guide you. Take breaks if you need to, or stop your workout if you feel worse.[13]

Remember to do a light warm up before your workout. This can help you gauge if you feel well enough to continue exercising.

Watch for symptoms such as rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, chest pain, wheezing, feeling faint, or worsening body aches. If you have any of these, stop exercising and seek medical attention.[14]

4

Allow for rest days. Rest is a key component to any exercise regimen as well as your immunity. No matter if you are sick or not, give your body a chance to rest and recover. This can help your body build muscle and heal.[15]

Give yourself at least one full day of rest to promote your immunity-boosting workouts. If you are sick, listen to your body. You may need a few days of rest and easy recovery walks to get better.[16]

Part 3

Adopting Healthy Habits to Boost Immunity

1

Consume a healthy diet. The key to a healthy weight is a good diet. Healthy foods can also boost your immunity. Eat a nutrient rich and healthy diet in conjunction with your exercise to gain maximum benefits for your immunity.[17]

Remember to adequately hydrate. Drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day.

2

Limit alcohol consumption. If you drink alcoholic beverages, make sure you only drink in moderation.[18] It can undermine your attempts to boost your immunity by increasing your risk for high blood pressure and kidney disease.[19]

Follow recommended guidelines for daily alcoholic beverage consumption. Men can have two or fewer drinks per day and women should drink no more than one.

3

Reduce stress. Stress can have a significant impact on your body’s ability to prevent and fight illness. Actively reducing stress or controlling situations that cause it can bolster your exercise attempts to boost immunity.[20]

Make a list of things that cause you stress. Figure out what you can do to actively reduce it or control stress-inducing elements. For example team meetings may contribute to your stress. Minimize how you react in this situation, such as sitting next to someone you like or responding only when someone calls on you.